Travelzoo's Senior Editor Gabe Saglie is currently in Ireland in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, which is actually a five-day celebration running March 16-20. Parades and festivities are scheduled all over Ireland, though the parade through Downtown Dublin on March 17 is regarded as the best and biggest with 4,000 performers and a crowd of 500,000 expected. Not bad for a country with a population of just about 6 million!
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, which is a different destination than the Republic of Ireland, whose capital is Dublin. Northern Ireland (NI) is part of the UK and therefore uses the British sterling/pound and road are marked with distances in miles. Dublin and the Republic of Ireland are part of the EU and use the euro as their currency and distances are measured in kilometers - a quirky fact tourists need to know.
Below is a list of what you must-see while in Belfast, Armagh and Dublin.
Ireland continues to be one of Europe's most affordable countries to travel, especially in the spring, when the country blooms alongside its deals and is Travelzoo's Destination of the Week. For deals, please visit http://www.travelzoo.com/destinations/ireland/.
